


Stay In Control

by SeanIsExisting



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Blood and Violence, Dream Team SMP Lore (Video Blogging RPF), Fix-It, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Threats of Violence, Time Travel, War, annnnnnnnnnd much more
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-20 22:35:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30011970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeanIsExisting/pseuds/SeanIsExisting
Summary: In a land known as the SMP, nations such as L'manburg have been created as a safe haven for those with what we call 'quirks', AKA magic abilities. Members of the SMP have always been outcasts, and were in great danger in the normal world. So, they were brought to L'manburg where they didn't have to worry about anything, they could live out their lives normally. But what happens when a certain boy, Karl Jacobs, finds his quirk, and without realizing it is tearing down the nation and everybody in it? When he forgets who he is and who to trust or what to do? Or when all hell breaks lose, and everybody is at war? What about when they start realizing who they're related to, and how much harm they've truly caused to one another?A story based on the Dream SMP's lore, where everyone has a magical ability. Trust me, it'll be cooler than it sounds.
Relationships: Karl Jacobs/Sapnap
Comments: 14
Kudos: 17





	1. Where It All Begins

**Author's Note:**

> What in the world is up my dudes? Welcome to my book!
> 
> I'm fairly bad at summaries, so I'd suggest just reading the story. I've always wanted to do a story on the SMP based on lore, and also a story where all the SMP members have quirks, AKA magical abilities. So, I took those ideas and threw em' together! While it is based on lore, I'm adding and changing a lot of things to better fit my plot. Alright, enjoy!
> 
> Chapter TW's: None.

Night began to fall over the land, moonlight ripping through the clouds, birds finding their way to their twig nests. Green and yellow leaves sway on the trees, dancing with the light breeze washing over the sky. Dead grass and dry soil craved the rain, but in this land, rain was rare. As rare as diamonds. New polished buildings were being built among the old, run down ones that held so many memories. 

Before we carry on, you should know a bit of backstory. In this land, that we call the SMP, lives those with magical abilities and powers. The world shut them out when they learned about their strange quirk, so they found a safe haven here, away from what we call “normal” people. 

Eventually, they built up an entire nation, called L’manburg for those who feel like outcasts to come and live happily. Last thing before I let you enjoy this tale, they are not born with these quirks. Something needs to trigger them. 

These powers show up at any random time, no matter how old they are or what situation they’re in. Although the powers aren’t with you when you’re born, there’s signs you will eventually develop some kind of magical ability. When the world found out about that, more and more people began showing up to L’manburg to save themselves any danger when they did eventually get theirs. 

The powers are known as classes as well, everybody has their own class, such as Tempest or Conduit, but you’ll learn more about that later. Now, I believe it’s time I stop rambling and tell you the tragic yet exciting tale.

“Sapnap, you’re on fire again.” A short brunette male giggled, putting down his bow-and-arrow, looking at the raven haired boy in front of him, hair falling just above his shoulders, pointy ears sticking out.

“What do yo- oh.” Sapnap stuttered, looking down and realizing he was practically walking on flames, and had red and orange shooting out from his arms and hands. He shook his head, and took a deep breath which seemed to have calmed the flames.

“You really gotta get that under control.” The brunette came over, giving Sapnap a small punch to the arm, who was leaning on his axe that was pushed into the dead grass and weeds.

“Says you Karl, you don’t even know your class yet.” Sapnap huffed, shoving Karl back, grinning. Karl stumbled over a stick before pulling himself together. He knew saying that would instantly piss him off, but he was in the mood for a fight, they both needed the practice anyway.

“Oh come on, I’m not the only one without a class! Tubbo doesn’t know his yet!” Karl said aggressively, rolling his eyes. Sapnap raised an eyebrow, looking slightly down at Karl.

“Wait, you mean to tell me you don’t know? Dude, he got his the other day, if I remember correctly he’s Geokinesis, nature powers or some shit, same as Hannah.” Sapnap tilted his head to the side, a bit stunned that Karl hadn’t heard about this yet. Practically the entire nation was boasting about it, happy for the scrawny seventeen year old. The boy was forced out of his home when his brother gained powers, his parents knew Tubbo would eventually gain them as well. 

His brother didn’t live in L’manburg, he didn’t trust the people here and believed it all to be a hoax, but Tubbo wasn’t about to give up. Where was his brother? Nobody knew. Tubbo of course hasn’t forgotten about him, he hopes he’s still alive and doing well. 

“Seriously!? Great, now I’m the only one. What triggered it?” Karl whined, shifting his feet, face becoming redder by the second. Sapnap bit his bottom lip in thought, tapping the top of his axe, trying to remember what everybody else has told him.

“Pretty sure a swarm of bees were coming for him, so he shot these vines out of his hands to push them back. Wait no, a tree was gonna fall on him… or he was about to drown… something that has to do with nature.” Sapnap chuckled, realizing how terrible his memory is. He looked back down at Karl who now had a grin on his face instead of a frown. It was basically Sapnap’s job to keep Karl happy, and he was happy to be there for him. It’s been a rough few months for the usually excited and bashful boy, but with everybody finding their class it’s been more difficult to keep up his happy act. 

“I just don’t know what will trigger mine, I’m not sure how to make it happen.” He looked down, wiping some dirt off his colourful neon hoodie. His hands swiped over the large green swirl in the middle of the purple front. His hands were covered in small scars and scrapes, probably from all the time he spends out in the forest and ‘venturing through flower fields. 

“It’ll happen when it happens, don’t think too much about it! Mine was triggered just by George accidentally almost killing me with a giant icicle, it wasn’t anything cool or exciting.” Sapnap laughed, swinging his axe over his shoulder, hand on his hip. George’s class was Frostborn, and honestly, was absolutely terrible at controlling it. He’s injured so many people by accidently hitting them with icicles, or freezing them. He was like a small child playing with knives. 

“Since you’re Pyromancer, I’m guessing you shot lava or something out of your hands to melt it?” Karl looked back up, still grinning as he put his bow-and-arrow on his back. Sapnap simply nodded in response, a small laugh escaping his throat. 

“It’s starting to get late, we should find somewhere to sleep.” Sapnap said, looking up at the moon, starting to peek through the gray clouds. He pulled down the black sleeve of the shirt underneath his white t-shirt that was falling down his arm as he held his axe.

“Why don’t we just go to my base? I know it’s old and pretty rundown, and most of the place is destroyed thanks to Dream… yeah nevermind, we’ll go somewhere else.” Karl smirked, looking back to Sapnap as he paced away, heading away from the open field they were hanging out in. Everybody tried to keep L’manburg peaceful, that’s why it was created. It was meant to be a safe place for those who were different to feel safe, appreciated, and loved. But, as hard as they tried, a war did eventually break out, without any warning or preparation. 

“Foolish, give me a boost! He’s up the mountain!” Tommy yelled through the raging storm, thunder booming across the great night sky. Lightning struck down, causing a tree to erupt in flames. Foolish obeyed Tommy’s command, blowing a cloud of wind under the blonde boys feet to lift him up the dirt and stone mountain. He took a harsh fall when he landed on the cliff, knees scraping on the rocks, rain and hail hitting him like boulders. 

He could see Dream’s neon hoodie in the distance, sword in hand, two discs in the other. His discs. The thing that matters most to him. His legs felt like noodles, his head pounding, ears filled with sounds of thunder and blood curdling screams, the sound of swords and axes swinging against each other. 

Tommy pushed himself off the ground, wincing at the pain shooting up his side. Dream was still on the run, trying to get back to his ender chest to put the discs away. It was finally his time to get revenge, to give Tommy what he deserves. After what he did, he was ready to do anything, even if it meant turning everybody against him. 

Tommy was the only one who knew what he did, he was the only one who could fix it and yet he refused to. Dream wasn’t about to give in that easily to some useless, puny boy. He was better than that, and he knew it. 

Tommy’s heart was beating against his chest, everybody had fallen behind trying to find another way to catch up to the masked man. Only one person, his closest friend Sapnap, had seen what’s behind the blood stained mask. 

It’s like he wasn’t real, just a vision messing with their minds, a voice in the back of their heads that wouldn’t go away. Tommy became weaker and weaker with each step he took. He could feel his powers becoming weak, he couldn’t go on for long. Just as he was about to turn around and go back, a voice called to him.

“Tommy, go around the castle, you’ll catch up to him faster that way!” It was Wilbur’s voice. He wasn’t anywhere near, but thanks to his quirk Tommy could hear him loud and clear. He mentally thanked Wilbur, sliding down the mountain and onto the wooden path. He ran as fast as his feet would take him, until the wooden path ended and he reached Eret’s stone castle, overgrown with vines and plants. He stopped in front of the large wooden door, panting, looking around, desperately trying to find Dream through the dark and fog. That same british voice filled his ears.

“Around the castle is another path, he’s heading up that way, we’ve almost cut him off, hurry up!” The voice said. Tommy nodded to himself, immediately taking off towards the path. He trusted his friends, he knew they were doing their best to stop Dream, but truly nobody could stop him. 

He was the most powerful member of the SMP, nobody has ever beaten him in a battle. He kept to himself, nobody truly knew what he spent his time doing. Except Sapnap, but he absolutely refused to reveal anything about his so-called friend. The raven haired boy wasn’t fighting with them, nobody knew whose side he was on. Tommy tried to trust Karl when he said Sapnap is and will always be on their side, but he just couldn’t. 

He was snapped from his thoughts when a loud crash came from the left of him. His eyes widened at the sight of Dream standing on a cliff in front of a wooden house, smiling under the mask. Tommy looked over to see the house completely destroyed, a huge boulder sitting in front of it. Wooden planks and screws fell in front of Tommy, making him jump.

“You put up a good fight Tommy, but deep down you know this is a battle you can’t win. The discs are mine, Tommy, they’re in the chest, they’re mine, and you can’t get them back. Think before you do something stupid that you’ll regret.” Dream yelled from the cliff, his voice echoing even through the rain and thunder, everybody could hear him. He let out a breathy chuckle before disappearing into the woods, but not without snapping his fingers causing another boulder to fly towards the defeated blonde boy. 

Tommy let out a shriek, jumping out of the way into a bush, just avoiding the boulder. He let out a scream, his throat on fire, his voice giving out. His head fell into his hands as he let out a cry, completely and utterly defeated. He was done for.

“Karl? You good?” Sapnap asked with a worried tone, shaking Karl’s shoulder with his free hand, axe in the other still swung over his shoulder. 

“Huh? Yeah, sorry, I’m alright.” He replied, snapping out of his trance, shaking his head. He picked up his bag of arrows from the ground, slipping out of Sapnap’s grasp and walking forward. Tommy was never the same after that, Karl noticed. He wasn’t as joyful or happy, he was always focused on war and conflict, and far more protective over those he loves, especially Tubbo, the one person he ever really cared about. 

Sapnap let his head fall, looking at the ground as he followed behind the multicoloured boy. With Karl’s home destroyed, and Sapnap never having a house to begin with, they had to improvise and find other places to sleep. 

Sapnap’s favorite spot was under a large, scarlet red mushroom in a far off flower field, only he and Karl knew of it. It was relaxing, peaceful, a place where all worries would drift off into the unknown. It would just be them, in each other's arms, safe and warm. Those were his favourite nights, and he wished he could pause time and stay there forever.

As he followed Karl in front of him, he let his eyes wander around the area. They were far out in the forest behind Puffy’s house. Not many people came over here, so this was their hangout. They trudged on through the thick brambles, Karl pushing away weeds with his feet and ducking under tree branches. It was quiet at this time of night. The only sounds that could be heard were the birds above, the animals out to catch their last meal, and the faint sound of voices in the distance. The large oak trees towered above them, blocking out the moonlight, leaving them in complete darkness. 

As Sapnap was still in his own little world, he felt a warm hand wrap around his, pulling him forward. His eyes snapped up from the ground to Karl in front of him, still facing forward, trying to navigate out of the forest. He felt a smile tug at his lips as he let out a sigh of relief, gripping on tighter to his hand.

They made their way out of the woods and back into the moonlight. The clouds had shifted positions, leaving the full moon completely visible. Karl had his head tilted, admiring the sight. His hand was still tightly holding onto Sapnap’s, who now stood beside him. Without looking away from the sky, Karl broke the comfortable silence.

“We could always crash at Tommy’s base, he’s never there anyways.” He said, picking up the pace as it got darker. Tommy spent a lot of his time lately away from everybody at his holiday home. Ever since the last battle with Dream, he preferred to stay away from the main lands to avoid conflict. Sapnap and Karl only went to Tommy’s if they had no other choice, such as now. The flower fields were too far away, it would take forever to get there, and all of their friends were definitely sleeping by this hour.

“Yeah, that’s probably best. I’m getting sleepy.” Sapnap replied, yawning as he dropped his axe, having it drag through the dirt and grass as they made their way to Tommy’s base. Well, it wasn’t really a base. It was simply a hole dug out on the side of a small hill, but it was shelter nonetheless. Karl’s eyelids began to droop, his feet barley carrying his weight, his knees ready to give out. They spent the whole day practicing their fighting skills. Karl was a natural at archery, and Sapnap had a special gift when it came to axe throwing and sword fighting. 

Sapnap burst through the wooden doors of the base, followed by Karl who immediately dropped his bow and bag of arrows on the floor. Sapnap carefully placed his diamond axe up against a wall, making sure it was secure and wouldn’t fall. They made their way around the endless number of chests full of miscellaneous items, walking down a small set of stairs to what they considered the bedroom. 

Two beds sat on each side of the small dirt room, with mud and blood stained white bedsheets and red blankets, along with two flat pillows on each. They didn’t make for the most comfortable sleep, but they really didn't mind. Except Sapnap, everytime they came here he always had something to complain about, but he was so tired all he could do was flop onto the bed and shut his eyes, not bothering to change or take off his headband. 

Karl sat down on the edge of the other bed across from Sapnap’s, elbows resting on his knees, head in his palms. 

“Sapnap?” Karl said, looking up from his purple shoes to the boy in front of him, sprawled out on top of the blanket.

“Hm?” He let out a small mumble to signify he heard Karl. 

“So.. since quirks are triggered by something n’ stuff, do you think we could somehow force it? Like create a situation that would have to trigger some kind of power?” He sat up straight, his eyes bright. His question made Sapnap’s eyes shoot open, and turn his head to look at Karl.

“I mean… maybe, but it’s probably not possible. Even if it is, that’s not a good idea Karl, way too dangerous.” He replies. Karl leaned back, propping himself up on his elbows and let out a sigh.

“Come on Sapnap, please? We won’t do anything dangerous, just set something up that could trigger something. You are my best friend, after all.” Karl pleaded. Best friend. Those words stung, it felt someone was stabbing Sapnap’s heart with a needle. He didn’t understand why though, he was his best friend. He mentally shook his head, trying to push away the odd feeling.

“No, Karl. I’m not going to risk your safety for something so stupid. I told you already, it’ll happen when it happens. It’s late, try to get some sleep, okay?” Sapnap said with a stern voice, turning his head back to the ceiling and closing his eyes. Karl let out an annoyed grunt before throwing his legs up on the bed, letting his head fall to the pillows. He turned onto his side, forcing his eyes shut as he tried to sleep. But, the thought of him still being powerless clouded his head, making it impossible to rest. He grabbed the soft blanket and brought it up to his chest, taking in the warmth. 

Surely something would be able to trigger it, he just needed to figure out what. Whether Sapnap wanted him to or not, he would force his magical abilities out. He was tired of being useless, he wanted a purpose, a way to help himself and others. One way or another, it would happen, as long as he stays in control.


	2. Call To Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After waking up to a shouting Tommy, Sapnap and Karl find themselves having to bring Tommy to Hannah's house so he can talk to Tubbo. After a journey of nothing but bickering and complaining, they finally make it to Hannah's. The group leaves to find Tubbo who was supposedly out reading by a creek. Karl took this as an opportunity to do something stupid and dangerous, but he could care less. As he was adventuring off on his own, he ran into an old friend. Someone he hadn't seen in a long, long time. Quackity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sup bros! This chapter took a lot of time since I had to re-write half of it thanks to ao3 not saving it. Lesson learned, gonna write on google docs first. :’) This chapter is pretty long, but I wanted to leave it off on a good cliffhanger, not something boring, so I had to make it long lmao.
> 
> Next, did yall see Quackity’s lore stream!??!?! Like good god that was an entire movie masterpiece, I still havent gotten over it!! Anyways.. Yall know we including that lore into the fic, and I have the perfect way to include it into the plot I have goin for this fic. Literally so excited, augh i got so many ideas. I know this book won’t get a lot of attention or reads, but honestly i just love writing and this has been such a fun story to write, i'm excited to see what i can do with the new lore!! 
> 
> Haha okay enjoy chapter 2! I know not much has happened yet, and i kinda left this one on a cifffhanger, but stuff is gonna get interesting real soon!

"What the actual fuck are you guys doing?" A loud British voice rang throughout the dirt room, making the two men trying to get some shut-eye instantly wake up. Sapnap sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes as Karl kicked off the red blanket, not bothering to move.

"Tommy..?" Sapnap mumbled, still trying to wake up, the sun shining into his eyes not helping. He could see the boy's blonde hair, along with his red and white shirt, but his eyes focused on the netherite sword in his right hand.

"Yeah, mind explaining why you're in my base?" Tommy shouted, a clear tone of annoyance in his voice. He motioned to the dirt walls surrounding them as he awaited for a response.

"We just needed somewhere to sleep, we didn't take or break anything." A smaller voice hit Sapnap and Tommy's ears. They both looked over to Karl who was standing up, stretching while yawning. His arms dropped beside him as he sat back down, reaching for his shoes. Sapnap tightened his headband, pushing loose strands of black hair away from his eyes.

"Next time maybe give me a heads up?" Tommy groaned, securing his sword on his back as he ran his hand through his hair. "I don't have time for this, where's Tubbo?" He eyed Sapnap he simply shrugged, then over to Karl who was busy tying up his shoes. He looked up to Tommy with tired eyes, bags clearly visible.

"Last time I saw him he was at Hannah's, so he's probably still there." The brunette said before focusing his attention back to his purple shoes. Sapnap stood up with a yawn, leaning up against the side of the dirt wall with a thud.

"Where's Hannah's house? More importantly, why is he with her?" Tommy was always like this with Tubbo, he needed to know where he was at all times and if he was safe. Tubbo didn't seem to mind, but the rest of L'manburg sure did mind.

"Well if you cared enough you would already know he found his class, but instead you were hiding out in your holiday house. Hannah has the same powers as him, she's probably just trying to teach him how to control it." Sapnap replied smoothly with a sly grin, crossing his arms. Karl lightly shook his head at Sapnap's sassy attitude with a smile. He stood up, walking to stand beside the raven haired boy.

“I do care! I was over there to take care of the farm and animals, I wasn't hiding! I'm not a coward!" Tommy's voice boomed across the room like thunder, echoing off the walls. Karl jumped at his sudden rage, and came up to put his hand on Tommy's tense shoulders.

"Don't worry, we know. Sapnap's just a jerk." He turned around to eye Sapnap, who put his hands in his pants pockets and shook his head. "Anyways, her house is northwest of the spider spawner, tucked away somewhere in a forest, pretty sure it's across a river." He turned back to Tommy who seemed to have calmed down thanks to Karl. His eyes were like an open book, Karl could tell he was confused.

"Uh yeah, I don't think I'll be able to find it.." He muttered, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as Karl pulled away, letting out a small chuckle.

"That's alright, we'll take you, it's about a forty-five minute walk from here." Karl gave him one last pat on the shoulder before making his way up the stairs. He made it up one step before Tommy was shoved out of the way, and Karl was pulled back by a rough hand.

"Karl! We aren't taking him, we have stuff to do, he can figure it out on his own!" Sapnap whisper-shouted into his ear, which didn't make a difference by Tommy's annoyed face.

"While you girls argue I'll be outside, come outside if you’ll help." Tommy shook his head, brushing by the two bickering guys on the staircase, disappearing into the morning sun, rays of yellow and orange making his skin shine.

"Sapnap! It's only forty five minutes, we have all the time in the world, let's just help him." Karl pulled his wrist away from Sapnap's grasp, arms crossed, an annoyed frown on his face. Sapnap was never one to help people out, he would rather spend his time practicing axe throwing or sleeping.

He especially did not want to help Tommy, they didn't necessarily get along very well. Ever since Dream got Tommy's discs in his possession, Tommy blamed Sapnap. Accused him of helping Dream spy on Tommy to find the perfect chance to take the discs. No matter how much time Sapnap tried convincing Tommy otherwise, he wouldn't believe him. Tommy had blocked everybody off with a wall, and wouldn't let anybody crash through, wouldn't let anybody toy with his thinking. His mind was made, and when Tommy was sure about something, it never changed.

Sapnap hadn't seen Dream in at least two months, he was nowhere to be seen. Nobody knew where he lived, or if he left the SMP all together. No matter how much Sapnap tried to deny it, he truly, truly missed Dream. His best friend. Someone he trusted. He never thought he would betray him like this. 

He shook away those thoughts, knowing they didn’t do him any good, and looked back to Karl who's annoyed glare began to turn worried. Tommy had turned most of the people against Sapnap, but he needed to push that away. If helping Tommy would make Karl happy, he would do it. He would move heaven and hell if it meant Karl could be happy. That's all he needed to think about right now, Karl.

"Fine, let's go." Sapnap huffed out, Karl grinning as he followed the taller male up the stairs. "Let Tommy know we'll take him, I'm just gonna grab some food for the way." Karl nodded, tossing Sapnap a brown leather satchel that was hanging off a chest by the door. Sapnap caught it mid-air, turning around. He scattered through the un-organized, over-filled chests in hopes of finding some food. His eyes carefully looked over every chest and item, until they gazed over a basket full of apples and potatoes. He sighed in relief, opening the basket and grabbing enough for the three of them. He chucked them into the satchel, closing it up and putting the strap over his shoulder, letting it hang on his hip. He grabbed his diamond axe, placing it on his back before picking up the bag of arrows on the ground.

He was greeted by Karl's bright smile, and by an eye-roll from Tommy. Sapnap gave Karl his bag of arrows, who nodded in thanks, putting them on his back along with his arrow. Tommy still had his sword in hand, though there was no danger around.

"Does he really need to come? He's probably going to drag us into some kind of sick trap." Tommy complained, pointing the sharp netherite in his direction, eyeing Karl.

"No he won't, you can trust him. He knows how to navigate the river, I don't, so just chill out." Karl shook his head, rolling his sweater sleeves up. His tone indicated he was annoyed with Tommy, which worried Sapnap. If they both were done with his crap and annoyed, this would be a painfully long and agonizing trip. Tommy can sure get on people's last nerve.

Karl took the lead, Tommy following behind, Sapnap behind them. They started their treck on the wooden plank path heading away from Tommy's base over to the famous Targay, along with Puffy's small, secluded house. Sapnap longed to be sitting with Karl in the forest behind, just enjoying each other's company. He felt himself staring at the forest as a bunny hoped to a flower, playfully jumping on it. Sapnap let out a breathy laugh as he turned his attention back to the boys in front of him, and the path. That's when another thought popped into his head, which immediately made his insides boil.

"Yo, Tommy?" He stopped, crossing his arms as he bit the inside of his cheek, waiting for Tommy to acknowledge him. The short blonde turned with a sigh.

"What Sassnap?" Tommy replied, Karl rubbing his face, tired of the bickering. He knew this would go on for a while, so he stepped back to lean up against the colorful glass of the large red building.

"First off, It's Sapnap, second, your class is literally Tempest." Sapnap groaned at the nickname, slouching back onto a tree just off the path, the bright green leaves creating a dark shadow over the wood.

"Yeah, and? Your point?" Tommy huffed, spinning the sword still in his blistered hand. Sapnap let out a low laugh.

"Dude, your power is wind. Can't you just blow a cloud of air under you and let it carry you to Hannah's?" He said with a small shake of his head, sinking farther back into the hard wood of the tree.

"That's not how it works dipshit." Tommy laughed, digging the tip of his sword into the rotting wood, putting his elbow on the handle. Karl sighed quietly, head turned to the side of the building, trying to focus on the small birds pecking at pieces of fruit in the grass, blocking out the arguing.

"Oh yeah, because I'm just supposed to know everything about every class." Sapnap fought back, trying to defend himself. He did make a good point, though Tommy didn't want to admit that. You really don't know anything past the basics of classes besides your own, and everybody's is a little bit different.

“Well I’d expect you to have some more common sense!” Tommy shouted, pointing to his head. Karl sighed, trying to forget about the childish bickering. But, the sounds of birds chirping and wind howling was quickly replaced by the loud voices.

“God Dammit Tommy! You know what? You are the most annoying person I’ve ever met. You’re nothing but a pest that won’t fucking go away! Ever since you joined L’manburg it’s been nothing but chaos with you!” Sapnap stayed on the tree, gesturing in the direction of the entrance to L’manburg. Karl groaned, rubbing his eyes, just wishing for this to be over. He was about to step in and break it up, until Tommy spoke up. 

“You are sure one to talk. Where were you during the battle with Dream, huh? When those close to you were about to die? Whose side are you fucking on, Sapnap?! You can’t even tell us that! How is anybody supposed to trust you, all you do is lie! No wonder Dream just up and left you, your friendship meant nothing to him and I’m not surprised, nobody is.” Tommy dug his sword back into the wood, the words spilling out of Tommy’s mouth like knives, headed straight for Sapnap’s heart. Sapnap’s eyes went wide, he leaned off the tree, stuttering, trying to find the right words to say. 

Maybe Tommy was right. Just maybe it all meant nothing. Dream manipulated him, destroyed him. The day Dream took the discs is the day it all shattered. 

They spent years building up a friendship, building up trust and support. It was like building an ice sculpture, a detailed intricate creation that took all of your time and energy. Then, just as they were carving the final detail, the one that would pull everything together, Dream came in with a hammer and crashed it all down, leaving Sapnap to clean up the pieces on his own. Each piece showed just how stupid Sapnap had been. He should have noticed Dream turning to the bad side and manipulating him, along with the entire nation from the very beginning. 

He fell back against the tree as he felt his eyes prick with tears, but he wouldn’t let them fall, he wouldn’t let anybody see him cry. Karl was frozen in place, looking back and forth from the emotionless raven haired boy on the tree, and Tommy’s red, angered face. You could practically see the smoke coming out of his ears.

“Tommy!” Karl harshly pulled Tommy back by his shoulder, making him stumble backwards, sword still stuck in the wood. Karl held both his shoulders, looking over a now fearful Tommy. “What the hell, man?! No, I’d expect more common sense from YOU. You have absolutely no idea how much he’s going through since everything with Dream, keep your mouth shut.” Karl pushed him away, his voice low, his eyes have never been more serious. Tommy paced back, keeping his eyes on Karl who was staring him down, and fumbled over his sword before pulling it out of the wooden path.

As Tommy stood on the path, still stunned by Karl’s sudden aggression, Karl jogged over to Sapnap, still under the oak tree’s protection. He knew in times like this Sapnap just needed someone there, not to talk or listen, just be there. In his presence. Karl put a careful hand on Sapnap’s shoulder, which made the corner of his lip perk up. Karl brushed off leaves and dirt from Sapnap’s white shirt, mumbling under his breath about how messy he is, which made the taller boy let out a breathy giggle.

Sapnap was grateful for Karl, he really knew how to cheer him up without even talking or doing much. Karl was such a bubbly and energetic person, that energy radiated off him to everybody around him. He would go to so much trouble, even as much as putting his own self in danger just to make you happy. Truly, everybody needed a Karl Jacobs in their life. Sapnap was lucky he found his, and that he stuck around since they first met on rocky terms. 

“If you don’t want to come with us, you don’t need to. I can figure out how to get around the river, y’know I’m not that big of a nimrod, unlike you.” Karl broke the comfortable silence, his voice light and calm. Sapnap leaned off the tree, making Karl’s hand drop from his shoulder. He missed the contact.

“Don’t be an idiot, of course I’ll come. Tommy is… well Tommy, can’t say I wasn’t expecting him to lash out on me at some point.” Sapnap shrugged with a sigh, walking out of the shadow the tree cast and into the sunlight. Karl grinned, happy Sapnap was still coming along on their little journey. To be honest, he had no idea how to navigate the river at all. If Sapnap in the end decided to back out, he’d just have to trust Tommy to get to Hannah’s on his own.

Speaking of Tommy, he opted to keep his sword out when Karl shot him yet another glance, Tommy could have sworn if Sapnap wasn’t there, he would kill him. He was lucky they were bothering to go on this little journey with him, and he knew that. He knew he should thank them, but at that moment he believed any words that came out of his mouth would result in a death sentence.

With that, they set off once again, this time Karl staying by Sapnap’s side and Tommy followed behind. Karl giggled at something Sapnap said, making Tommy roll his eyes. They were so obnoxious to him, not to mention oblivious.

“Tommy, try and keep up? We kinda want to get there as soon as possible so we don’t have to deal with your annoying ass.” Sapnap looked back with a lazy smile, hands resting in his pant pockets, slightly slouching back thanks to the weight of his axe and satchel. Karl snickered at Sapnap’s words, playfully nudging him with his elbow, making Sapnap turn back around before Tommy could protest. 

After what felt like forever, they were finally nearing the UFO Purpled built to live in. To Tommy, it felt like he was watching a clock, a clock that would never move. No matter how long he sat and waited, that damn second hand never moved. He mentally smashed that clock as the UFO came into sight, meaning they were by the spider spawner, near Hannah’s house. 

Karl and Sapnap had been laughing over random nonsense the entire time, those two never seemed to have just a moment of peace and quiet. Somehow Tommy was becoming the normal one, despite everything.

The rest of the walk was oddly quiet. The only sounds that went through the group's ears was the sound of breaking twigs beneath their feet, or the occasional swoosh of leaves when they pushed them out of the way. They were now ‘venturing through what came to be known as the badlands, simply an area with no civilization, and nothing but dry cracked soil, along with dead grass and plants. Though the thorns scraping at Tommy’s exposed legs or the occasional bug nipping at his arm was highly annoying, he knew this meant they were getting closer to the river that led to Hannah’s. 

They long since passed the spider spawner, where they got interrupted by a confused Niki who was having a difficult time enchanting her sword. Karl being the kind soul he is, of course went down to help Niki. Sapnap took his chances with the pokey grass and bugs, and sat down criss-crossed, fidgeting with his shoelaces. Tommy decided it would be best to stand up, even though he felt his knees about to buckle at any second with all the walking they’ve done. By the sounds of it, Niki was trying to enchant a sword with mending, which was odd to him. Niki was never much of a fighter, but he didn’t think much of it, everybody needed a sword. What made L’manburg so different from the outside world was definitely the monsters that lurked around at night, even during the day. 

Slenderman-like figures that would teleport before your eyes, large purple orbs staring you down. They were skinny, oh so very skinny and extremely tall. When they opened their mouths, the most blood curdling cry would come out. In a heartbeat, you’d be lying in a pool of your own blood if you weren’t fast enough to either kill the creature or run. Living skeletons that would be hiding in caves under your feet, bows at hand, aiming straight for your head. Giant spiders that were peaceful at day, murderous by night. The most ugly green two-legged creatures you’d ever seen, sizzling as they were ready to explode as their defense tactic. Zombies, actual real zombies that truly wanted your brains.

Tommy was snapped out of his thoughts as he heard footsteps on a ladder, then a boy emerging from the hole in the ground. Karl made his way over to Sapnap, kicking dirt into his face before lending a hand, helping him get off the ground. The sounds of swords slicing flesh made it clear Karl was successful in helping Niki, as she was slaying the spiders below.

The sound of trickling water was now clear, each step taking them closer to the river. Tommy hadn’t seen his friend Tubbo in quite a while. While he was out at his holiday home to make sure the animals were healthy and the crops were growing, it was also to hide. Even admitting those words in his head made him cringe, he hated the fact he was hiding. He hated the fact he was a coward, too afraid to take on Dream. But, it was brought to his attention not long ago that Dream has been nowhere to be seen since he got away with the discs, which gave Tommy hope.

The river came into view, the serene water reflecting the sun, shooting into Tommy’s eyes. He brought a hand up to his face to shield his eyes from the light, as did Sapnap and Karl. The grass became greener, livelier you could say, the closer they roamed to the river. Butterflies whisked across the sky before landing on flowers of various colours, caterpillars resting on leaves, eating away. Just passed a huge oak tree with branches shooting out in every direction, sat a wooden boat, guarded by the leaves. By the looks of the wood, it hadn’t been used much, probably only once or twice in the last few months. It had two seats in the boat, two ores hanging out the sides. It slightly angled on the large roots of the tree, grass and dandelions hanging over the edge, falling into the boat. 

Karl’s eyes lit up as he ran over to the boat, bag of arrows and bow hitting his back with every step, but he didn’t seem to mind. Sapnap let out a breath, looking down as a grin spread across his face. He took his hands out of his pockets, going over to meet Karl. 

“Is this the boat we’re taking?” Tommy asked, coming over, staring at the boat with a questioning look. Sapnap looked over to him, his smile dropping to a more sly, sarcastic, sassy grin.

“No Tommy, we’re gonna swim through the current, why use a perfectly good condition boat when we can do that?” The black haired man scoffed, shaking his head at Karl who brought a hand to his mouth to stop the giggles from escaping. The two squatted down on each side of the boat, Sapnap’s axe hitting the ground with a small thud as he pushed the satchel out of his way. They both gripped the bottom of the boat, then stood up, boat in hands. 

Tommy rolled his eyes, crossing his arms, trying to keep the smile he felt tugging at his lips down. He watched as the two boys carefully brought the boat to the sandy shore of the river, placing the boat down. Sapnap stood up fully, brushing his hands together, letting small crumbs of sand and grass fall to his pants. Karl tugged the neckline of his hoodie, a small sweat droplet falling from under his fluffy brown hair. The sun was unbearable all the way over here. No cloud cover at all, the water reflecting the burning light. 

He let out a sigh as Karl motioned for Tommy to come over to the boat so they could get out on the water. He walked out onto the small strip of sand lining the river, watching as Sapnap moved the boat out further out into the water. Sapnap let out a deep sigh as he pushed his hair back, now slightly damp thanks to the sweltering heat and sweat. Tommy’s eyes wandered from the boat over to Karl, who seemed to be very focused on Sapnap. God, Tommy wished they knew how incredibly obvious they were, it was almost sickening. He chuckled at the thought, which the others didn’t seem to hear.

“You two get in the boat, I’ll handle the rest.” Sapnap mumbled, tilting his head to the side at Tommy, gesturing for him to get in as he threw a rope into the boat, one that was next to it by the tree. 

Tommy nodded, climbing in next to Karl, trying to keep out of the water since his shoes definitely weren’t cut out for this. They were so damaged and torn they were basically trash, but he didn’t have any other pairs, and had to stick with it.

Tommy nudged Karl with his knee, making him move over on the seat. They both took the bench in the back, oars on the other bench for Sapnap. With ease, Sapnap pushed the boat fully into the water, hoping in, taking both oars in hand. He dipped them into the water, making sure they were secure, then pushing off.

“This shouldn’t take long, Hannah’s house isn’t that far…” He said quietly, mostly to himself. He cut his own self off as he looked beyond a hill up the river, and bit his lip. “...I think.” He grunted, still moving the oars. Karl fumbled around to take his bow, along with his arrows off his bag. He dropped them by his feet, sighing with relief as he let his head fall back, thankful to finally have the weight off his shoulders and back.

“Tommy?” Karl was slouched back on his seat, looking up at birds in a ‘v’ shape flying above. Tommy looked at Karl, raising his eyebrows. “You don’t needa answer if you don’t want to, but why are those discs so important to you? I mean, they’re just discs, you could always go looking for more? I know temples are pretty rare around these parts, but it’s not impossible.” Karl said, eyes glued to the sky. Sapnap seemed to be listening as he had his eyes on the both of them. Tommy sighed, he wasn’t prepared to answer a question like that.

“It’s… a long story, not worth getting into. All I care about right now is seeing Tubbo and making sure he’s okay.” Tommy sighed, resting his arm on the edge of the boat, his hand grazing over the clear waters. Karl hummed, deciding he wouldn’t ask any more questions, or force answers out of the boy. 

They sailed in silence, aside from the bits of conversation they struck up about the heat or how clear the waters were. Surprisingly, it was very relaxing for Tommy, even though he was with probably the most annoying people on the planet. Well, at least to him. He could see himself doing this more often.

Karl and Tommy engaged in a light conversation about the flower fields, and how Karl has explored almost every inch of those fields. He went on about the different breeds of flowers, and was a bit embarrassed to admit he helped water and take care of them. In L’manburg, they sometimes went weeks without a single drop of water, not even a cloud in the sky. Though Tommy wouldn’t bring himself to say it, he was thankful for Karl for doing that, his work clearly paid off according to the still bright flowers, standing tall.

“We’re here.” Sapnap interrupted the conversation, continuing to row as they pulled closer to the shoreline. Sure enough, a house was just barely peeking through the labyrinth of trees. It was a light rose-gold colour with hints of white, and pops of bright scarlet red. From the shoreline up to the house's door was nothing but red roses, all in full bloom. Karl was smiling brightly, leaning over the edge to get a closer look at the nature surrounding them. The moment they rowed up close enough to the shore, Karl grabbed his bow and arrows, and jumped out, ignoring the water splashing his pants and lower back.

Sapnap had a lazy smile on his face as he watched Karl excitedly run towards a birdhouse hanging from a tree, a small dove sitting inside, two little chicks popping their heads out. With one last roll of his shoulders, he rowed them right up the sand. Unlike before, there was an entire beach over here. In the distance, there were even two beach chairs, shaded by an umbrella. Without sharing a word between each other, Sapnap and Tommy climbed out of the boat, Sapnap making sure no damage was done to the boat.

Sapnap also took the rope that was now damp from everybodies shoes, tying it to a small wooden peg on the boat. In a few swift movements, he had the boat securely tied up to a tree to keep it from blowing away. With a completely clear sky, they were probably in for some extreme winds later on.

“Alright Tommy, you owe us for this one.” Sapnap laughed with a low voice as she walked along the stone trail up the house. He took Karl by the hand who seemed to be fascinated by a few bees on a flower, and pulled him to his side on the trail, tripping forward on a rock, falling onto Sapnap, making them both topple over into the grass, loud giggles escaping their mouths. 

“God not this shit again, get up.” Tommy groaned, shaking his head, kicking at Karl’s leg. They both looked to Tommy, then back to each other, and bursted out with laughter. Tommy swore he saw tears in Karl’s eyes, they were laughing way too much for the situation they were in. Tommy’s head fell into his hands as he let out another long, drawn out groan, so annoyed with these two. 

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of an endless chain of laughter, Sapnap got himself together and stood up, Karl following shortly after him, both of their clothes covered in dirt.

“You’re an idiot.” Karl giggled, running past Tommy, catching up to Sapnap. In response, the much taller boy shoved him into a nearby bush with his elbow. Karl couldn’t have been more unlucky, the bush was of course a rose-bush. A hiss came from the bush, followed by a look of concern on Sapnap’s face, until he also disappeared into the bush. 

“Whoa whoa whoa, jesus are you two alright?” Tommy jogged up, watching as Sapnap pulled Karl out of the bush gently, his sweater sleeves and pants rolled up, revealing small dabbles of blood and scrapes. Karl squeezed his eyes tightly shut as his hand wiped across a cut that must have been deeper than the others.

“Yeah yeah I’m good, just some cuts from the thorns.” Karl laughed in a shaky voice, looking himself up and down, a look of annoyance in his eyes as he realized just how many tiny cuts were covering him. “Thanks for this Sapnap.” He eyed Sapnap who was squatting next to Karl, still on the grass near the bush.

“Anytime!” He chuckled, then continued. “But seriously, there’s a lot of cuts, I’m sure Hannah has bandages.” Sapnap mumbled to Karl, wiping away some blood on Karl’s arm with his thumb. He also snatched a small rose petal from Karl’s fluffy hair with a small grin. Karl nodded, Sapnap pushing himself off the ground, continuing forward on the path. 

“Karl, how many cuts are there?” Tommy asked, seeing just how many were scattered across his arms and legs, and a small bloody one on his cheek. Karl hummed as he looked around his arms, then down to his legs, and shrugging.

“Too many to count.” He replied in a quiet voice, head forward, Tommy still trailing behind. They went across the mossy stones, through an archway made of bent and broken trees, before entering a sunny clearing. The large pink house was covered in vines, and surrounded by an insane amount of roses, not to mention thorns. Just then, a girl with long brown hair with a small vine pendant clipped in, a pink long sleeve sweater with dark, musty pink shorts, white knee high socks with rose felt details and simple white shoes came out. She had the largest smile on her face as she waved at the three boys, just coming through the archway. 

“Sapnap, Tommy, Karl! Hey! What are-” Her smile dropped in the matter of seconds when her eyes landed on Karl, and his scraped up body. She came rushing over, taking Karl out of Sapnap’s grasp and looking him over. Karl giggled at her sudden worry. “What happened to you?” Hannah gasped, wasting no time and dragging Karl onto the white wooden porch.

“This nimrod over here,” Karl paused, pointing at Sapnap who flopped down onto one of the porch chairs, shaking his head, “Thought it would be a fun idea to push me into a rose bush.” He finished, leaning against the railing. 

“Dear lord, okay wait here, I’ll clean up those scrapes.” Hannah said calmly, disappearing into the house, but not without glaring at Sapnap, who put his hands up in defense, of course with a smirk.

“You two really are idiots.” Tommy laughed sarcastically, sitting across the porch, elbows resting on his knees. Karl and Sapnap opted to not reply, not in the mood to deal with any more bickering. Hannah returned with bandages in one hand, and some kind of ointment in the other. 

“This might- no, this will sting, so try and stay still, it won’t last long.” Hannah said, grabbing Karl’s wrist lightly and bringing him over to an empty chair, having him sit down. He nodded, letting Hannah do her thing. She knew a lot about first aid, and she was the one who tended to everybodies injuries after the battle with Dream, or if somebody was hurt after a practice battle.

She started with the cut on his cheek, taking a wipe and cleaning off the blood before applying an ointment. As she said before, it did sting, but it didn’t bother him. After taking a few seconds to inspect the cut, she decided it wasn’t bad enough for a bandage, and didn’t want to waste them.

Karl nodded in thanks, his cheek immediately felt better. She moved down to his right arm which was very badly cut up, it got the worst of the thorns. She repeated the same process, this time wrapping a deep cut and a few smaller scraps just above his elbow in a bandage, making sure to tie it tightly to keep pressure on it so the blood would stop flowing. The two made light conversation as she cleaned up his left arm, wrapping a small bandage around his finger, and putting two on cuts that just wouldn’t stop bleeding. The rest were tame, and it would most likely fade in a week or two. 

His legs were basically untouched thanks to his pants, but the sharp rose-thorns pierced through to his skin anyhow. She smiled after making sure the bandage on his arm was secure one more time, then stood up, pushing her hair out of her face, revealing beautiful brown eyes.

“All done! They should all fade soon, the ones under the bandage will scare, but it shouldn’t be bad. Sorry about that, guess I should probably do some gardening, huh?” Hannah said, her voice soothing and soft, feeling like silk against their ears.

“Thank you, I really appreciate it. And I wouldn’t get rid of them, they’re beautiful!” Karl exclaimed, standing up, the old chair creaking. He rolled his left sleeve down, keeping the right sleeve rolled up to his elbow, keeping the bandage exposed. Hannah thanked him back before scolding Sapnap about the thorns and bush. He apologized dramatically to Karl, thanking Hannah for the help. Tommy also gave thanks, still curious about where his friend was. Surely he heard the four of them chatting if he was there? 

“We actually came out here for Tubbo, where is he?” Tommy asked. They were still on the porch, talking about life and how everything in L’manburg was since Hannah had spent the past few days at her home.

“Oh yeah, I offered him to stay at my place for a while so I could help him practice and control his powers since he got the same as mine. He’s down at a creek not far from here, I think he’s reading?” Hannah replied, when a dead vine hanging from the roof caught her eye. She swiftly twisted her fingers and moved her hand in a very specific, swift graceful way, almost like a dance she’s practiced and performed hundreds of times, turning the vine from a brown, dead colour back to its former bright green. She smiled at her work before getting off the porch, telling the others to follow her to the creek to find Tubbo. Karl, however, did not follow. This was his chance, and maybe the only chance he was ever going to get.

He quickly stood up, grabbing the diamond axe Sapnap left behind on the railing. Swinging the axe to his right hand, he ran off the porch, and bounded towards an entrance to what he could only hope was a tame forest. Leaves crunched behind him as he ran, not looking back, he just kept going. There was no way something in this forest wouldn’t trigger his powers, something just had to… right?

He stopped to catch his breath after a few minutes of running, letting his hands fall to his knees, taking deep breaths to calm himself. He found himself in another clearing of green grass, red roses and oak trees towering far above him. The leaves created a large shadow, almost like a shield. He looked up the sky, a small hole in the leaves to let in a single beam of sunlight. The sounds of trickling water hit his ears, and the sound of scurrying. It must have been some sort of animal, this place was completely secluded, nobody would be around unless the others followed him, which he heavily doubted.

That’s when an idea struck. For what felt like the hundredth time that day, he dropped his bow and arrow, but kept the axe in his grasp. He looked around before spotting a tree that didn’t tower as high as the others, and chose that to be his test subject. Sapnap said Tubbo could have gotten his powers by a tree about to fall on him, meaning that maybe, just maybe, Karl could recreate that scenario and have it happen to him.

He took a deep breath, bringing the axe back near his shoulder, and swung. He swung again. Then again. And once more. I’m sure you can see where this is going.

With a grunt and a final swing of the axe, he heard something in the tree snap. Everything else went quiet, the only sound where his shaky breathes and the tree, which was about to come crashing down. For Karl, the world stopped. He put his hands out in front of him, hopeful, hopeful that something would happen that could put him out of danger, that this would just trigger his damn powers. 

The world all came back. The sounds, the scenery, the smells, as a voice called to him.

“KARL! Karl what-” That was the last thing he heard before he was slammed out of the way, being shoved onto the ground. His head banged against the hard ground, his body sinking into the grass. His vision went hazy for a moment before he re-focused, looking up to see another person rubbing their shoulder, face scrunched up in pain.

“What the hell were you doing? You could have been killed!” This random person turned to look at him, worry and anger filling his eyes. That’s when Karl realized he wasn’t some random person at all, but rather someone important to him. Someone he hadn’t seen in a long, long time.

“Quackity?”


	3. Authors Note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note!

This won't be long, it's not a chapter, just a note.

While I genuinely don't care for hits and kudos and stuff, it kinda sucks to come back to a story you spent a while working on to see it with no more hits than before, yknow? Most of the time that's a sign the story just ain't entertaining for others n' stuff, at least from my experience that's what I've noticed.

Or maybe it's because this isn't a romance fic and again from experience people seem to wanna stick to pure romance fics, which I understand.

Writing is.. a coping mechanism? That the right thing to say? No idea, but I have a lot going on and writing takes me mind off it for a while. This is my first fic, so there's gonna be mistakes in grammar, characters, the plot, there's gonna be a ton. 

I'll write chapter 3 and make a lot of changes to make sure everything flows smoothly, but if in the end this book is still a mega flop, I'll probably discontinue it. I have a crap ton other story ideas that aren't lore/smp stuff and more focused on romance since everybody seems to enjoy that, so maybe I'll take a shot at another story.

I don't wanna stop writing, but sometimes it can be a little de-motivating to come back and have barley any attention on a story. Again probably my fault for just not thinking everything over enough and making sure the writing is good before posting.

Okay sorry for the ramble, nobody will see this, but I wanted to say it anyways. If I really just can't grab readers attention anymore, I'll stick to writing stories on google docs and keeping them to myself until I see enough improvement lmfao.


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